老豆同亞妹到左三藩巿~老豆遊金山，金門橋，甘山阿伯~
  USA (West Coast) 2001年5月遊美國西岸 United Airline (UA1) took off from Hong Kong for Los Angeles at 12:30 noon on 11 May 2001 (HK time). After 13 hours on the plane, passed the international day line, we started our 7 days journey at 11 O'clock in the morning on 11 May 2001 (US time) from Los Angeles Airport. Arrival, Began with San Diego... 來到美國洛杉磯還有時間往聖地亞哥(墨西哥邊境)看看...    Surprisingly, it was so early that we still had enough time to join a local tour to San Diego which is the oldest port on the west coast of USA. Abandoned for a time, the modern city of San Diego eventually was developed 5 miles away from the first site (Old Town). The city has grown rapidly since the mid-nineteenth century, and is now the second largest city in California. Long known as a naval base, San Diego is also a place full of Mexican culture, worth sight seeing every where. We first visited Old Town, near the original harbour. There were small shops and restaurants, selling Mexican things and offering traditional Mexican dishes. We had no time to visit Sea World & San Diego Zoo but took 15 mins from downtown to Mexico/USA border and looked through Mexico, Tijuana from the crossing point there.  
←USA and Mexico border crossing point. |
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Hotel Del Coronado    這間酒店大有來頭，是愛迪生本人為她設計裝燈的全世界第一個用電燈的酒店！很多有名的大總統也來住過，瑪麗蓮夢露曾到這裡拍戲。 This is a hotel with massive Victorian turrets, built in 1887, is one of America's largest wooden buildings.   After sight seeing, we traveled 2 hours all the way back to Four Point Sheraton Hotel, LA. We spent a whole day in the Disneyland, California from 9:00 AM to until the fireworks display at 10:00 PM. we followed the tour guide to play some less exciting games like Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder Mountain and 3-D Theater. Because we had been to Disneyland in Japan before, everything here were looked to us very much the same, so much so that we were not too keen to the Parade, Fireworks and the games. My wife, however, enjoyed streaming on a boat into some sort of caves and watching dolls in different costumes, singing "It's a small world". 加州迪士尼樂園  As for me, I enjoyed the Fantasmic Show most. The scenery was great, in particular when laser beams struck on the water curtain together with water on fire (the fire on water). It was a story about Mickey who had dreams so he created many characters. Most of the people are familiar with Disneylands all over the world. The one in California is very special to me because it is the same age of mine. Oh dear! I don't know why I missed the Indiana Jones Adventure. Maybe I will catch up with it sometime in future. Desert Road to Las Vegas It had long been my dream to Las Vegas, not because I could bet there, but of its renown as a beautiful city in the middle of desert, particularly, its famous night scenery, shows and food. We started our journey to Las Vegas early in the morning, riding on a coach crossing the lonely desert, via... 入沙漠到拉斯維加斯...途經 Outlet... Though boring, was my first experience that I wouldn't forget. We stopped at Barstow Factory Outlet for lunch, where I bought a pair of Timberland shoes, a pair of Adidas trousers for my daughter and some other bits and pieces.  Las Vegas 拉斯維加斯 - the Green Land in Desert  在拉斯維加斯遊車河 Great! We had taken on a long 'limousine' to wonder around Las Vegas for two hours, here and there, glancing the gorgeous lighting and decorations of every hotel, both in downtown and on the Strip.
"Tiger machines" were everywhere in Las Vegas. We didn't let them eat our money, not even an US penny. I ate a lot of Alaska crab legs during a buffet dinner in Bellagio Hotel. Marvelous!!
拉斯維加斯夜景 nights at Hotel Paris, Las Vegas...
Now most of us would never think of this city as a meadow. But when the Old Spanish Explorers discovered
the area along the Spanish Trail to Los Angeles in 1830, they found meadows here,
which were fed by a natural water reserve in the midst of this huge desert. Hence, its name,
Las Vegas. Then in 1845, John C. Fremont began the first mapping of Nevada when he heard
rumors of a great river while on an overland expedition at nearby Las Vegas Springs. This
man, who mapped out the Arizona River, is remembered with Fremont Street and the
Fremont Hotel/Casino named for him. Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas 拉斯維加斯弗里蒙特街 We lodged at Las Vegas Club Hotel in Fremont Street
Downtown where we had plenty of time to watch the 'sky curtain' with thousands of colorful light bulbs, twinkling as screen, showing stories about Western United States.
Grand Canyon
We joined a tour to the Grand Canyon. The trip cost us US$235 a person. The Grand Canyon, located in the northwest corner of Arizona, is considered to be one of the most impressive natural splendors in the world. It is 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and at its deepest
point, is 1829 vertical Metre (more than 1 mile)from rim to river. Grand
Canyon incorporates three geographically separated areas: the South Rim,
the North Rim, and the inner canyon.
We went to Grand Canyon by way of desert roads via Hoover Dam and Lake Mead where we fed fishes.
入大峽谷...途經...
胡佛水壩 Hoover Dam. When we arrived at Grand Canyon, I was most impressed with its appearance. What a big sculpture God has made! We took on a helicopter,
'flight down' to the bottom of the Canyon and had an unforgettable boat trip on Colorado River.
We had an Indian lunch on the Canyon top & took photo with an Indian after meal.
Universal Studio
Apart from the Disneyland, Universal Studio is a must go theme park in Los Angeles.
In the Studio, we took the Tram tour to visit some familiar scene in movies, then we moved on to ET-tour, the studio for "Backdraft" and the "back to the future ride". The Tram tour was quite funny, indeed, when we experienced earthquake, shaking of King Kong, the separation of water in Ten Commandments and the scene of the Mummy Returns where I felt as if I was being rotated (but actually I was not).
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←I would suggest you should try the new Maze of the Mummy Returns, if you went to the Studio someday. Yes, too much to write, so I leave yourselves to explore. |
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Other Locations of Interest in Los Angeles It's Hollywood, LA.  中國城和星光大道 China Theatre, LA where we found name of many well-known movie stars, their footprints or handprints, hand writing and signatures on the ground in front of the theatre on the Hollywood Blvd. May 2001
  可樂專門店  阿拉斯加皇帝蟹腳 Alaskan King Crab Leg
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Then, we went across a bridge to San Diego Bay on the isthmus of Coronado, which is a well-scrubbed resort community with a major naval station, occupying its western end. 
